Porcelain
by K. Fang-sama
Summary: A new client recently came to Devil May Cry, and Dante and co. now have a new demon problem. What appears to be the work of business competitors, turns into something much bigger, leaving the gang to be weary of everything. Including the client... A/N: Rating may go up in certain chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. No one's done one of these with Ulquiorra, at least not as far as I know. Wish me luck! :)**_

* * *

Porcelain

**Chapter One**

It started off pretty normal, at least, according to Dante's memory.

He was kicking back on his couch, half asleep as Patty went on cleaning the office and Morrison went through his bills again. There was some rock and roll playing, but quieter this time around, if only for Dante to get to sleep faster. And he was about to, if the door hadn't swung open.

"A customer!" Patty yelled, running to the door. Dante's eyes opened, slightly annoyed he wasn't able to nap, but he sucked it up; sitting up as Patty greeted the guy. "Welcome!" She said, lowering her head, her hands folded in front of her. The guy said nothing; he only stared at her for a few seconds before looking up and looking around the office.

Dante shifted so he was sitting back against the couch, taking in this guy's looks. He was younger and shorter than Dante, but his figure suggested that he was well toned. He was dressed in all black, his clothes a bit tattered, not to mention dirty. He had shoulder length black hair and large emerald eyes. He was also naturally pale, but from Dante's viewpoint, he was paler than usual, probably.

The man had a hand on his midsection, and he could see a few drops of sweat dripping down his face. The guy didn't give the air of a man who could make a sizable pay. But he definitely needed help with something.

"You just gonna stand there or are ya gonna sit down?" He asked the guy. "Unless you're not here to hire me, then you may as well leave." Patty turned around to glare at him, while Morrison only watched, quietly. The man narrowed his eyes, but he proceeded to the couch opposite to Dante. There was a slight limp in his step, and once he sat down, Dante could easily see the bags under the guy's eyes. "What can I do you for?" He asked the man.

Again, silence. The man stared at Dante, concentrating on any and all details he could see about him. An analytical client. Not very common, but not something Dante hadn't seen before.

"You are the devil hunter that I keep hearing of." He said it more to himself than Dante, but the albino nodded all the same. The man sighed. "My name is Kadir White. You wouldn't guess it in this state, but I'm the CEO of White Manor Suites; a line of hotels across the country."

Morrison did a double take. "That's impossible. The CEO died five months ago."

"No, I disappeared five months ago. You might want to reread the article you read." He told Morrison strictly before turning back to Dante. "About six months ago, demons started showing up a few towns over, where I live. I didn't think much of it until a week later, when I noticed someone staring at me from across the street. He vanished after that, but with him, so did some of my employees. Naturally, I reported this, but I didn't know demons were involved until a few weeks later, when the attacks started happening near my apartment complex. And few days after, some of them let themselves into my home and were waiting for me when I got there."

Dante began nodding. Pretty cut and dry. "So, you're being hunted." He said.

Kadir nodded. "Yes, it appears that way. I managed to escape them, but the last few months haven't been easy." Dante simply gave him a gesture to tell him to continue. Again, Kadir sighed. "I invested in a safe house under an alias before I became successful, and after the incident, I went there and stayed for two months. I was found, though, and I've been forced to go into even further hiding. Homeless shelters, back alleys, changing clothes and names, and only moving at night to ensure I wouldn't be caught. This has been working up until three days ago."

The albino nodded. "Any idea why they're after you?"

The ebony shook his head. "I wish I knew. All any of them ever say is "come at once." Whatever for, I don't know."

Dante nodded. "Alright, then. You want me to get rid of this problem so you can get back to your life, I take it." Kadir nodded. "It may take some time. I hope you're willing to pay for a long investigation and massive slaughter."

"I am." He simply said.

"Good, then." Dante said, standing up. "First things first, I'm gonna need to check out the last place they saw you. You know where that was?"

Again, he nodded. "West Emberland Street, if I saw the sign right. I was chased through an alley, but I could see the sign from where I was hiding."

Dante nodded. "Let's go, then." He said, moving to grab his coat. Kadir nodded, but just as he stood up, he keeled over; Dante barely catching him before he hit the ground.

"Whoa!" Morrison let out, getting up as a startled gasp escaped Patty's lips. He went over to Dante, who just laid his new client down on the floor. "He alright?" He asked, slight alarm in his voice.

The albino sighed. "Yeah, he'll be fine. Five months of hell just caught up with him, it seems." He said, taking a knife out and tearing Kadir's shirt open. It was covered in makeshift bandaging, and his blood stained the cloth he used. Dante honestly didn't expect any less, he was surprised the man was able to walk in, let alone stay conscious. Regardless, he cursed a bit as he picked Kadir up and brought him to his bedroom.

And thus was Dante's first step into Kadir's hellish situation.

* * *

_**I did not expect that to go well. Okay, real quick. The way it's gonna work is that I won't be updating this story until I have the next chapter done. Which means chapter two is already finished, and chapter three is currently in the process of writing. I really wanna finish this one, so wish me luck! :)**_

_**~ K. Fang-sama**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Well, chapter two, here we go!**_

* * *

Porcelain

**Chapter Two**

It had been two days since Dante's new client fell unconscious, and he had yet to stir. He was resting in the devil hunter's room, an IV put in to make sure he didn't become dehydrated. Morrison and Patty stayed with the guy whenever Dante went out, which was only a few times to investigate.

He found the alley on West Emberland Street, the one with a good view of the corner street sign. There was a bit damage, and as Dante went further down the alley, it became more and more apparent that at least two demons had come through there in days prior. And by the blood stains, he felt safe in assuming that a certain someone was being chased.

He searched the area a bit more, trying to find out how Kadir managed to get away from the demons. He eventually found a crime scene at a generator, which was surrounded by fencing. The generator was broken, and there was blood on the exterior fencing, leading Dante to conclude Kadir had only gotten away by sheer stroke of luck.

The investigation had to continue, of course, and all Dante had was the story he was told. He had a few resources to call on, although he wasn't too thrilled about it. Trish lived pretty close to where Kadir White lived, and Virgil had recently resigned to devil hunting and lived in a home outside of town, so he could find Kadir's safe house, easy. Dante still had a strained relationship with Virgil, and Dante wasn't sure what Trish would pull through.

Nonetheless, he still called them.

"What's the occasion?" Trish asked him after he put his favor forward. Dante explained his new client, at which, Trish agreed. "Alright. Let's hope this is smaller than it sounds, though."

"Yeah, let's." Dante said before hanging up and calling his brother.

Said twin wasn't any more thrilled than Dante was. "And why should I look into this? It's your client."

Dante groaned. Virgil had to be a pain in the ass. "I wouldn't call you up if I could do it myself. But I don't know what his alias was, and you have more connections in this sort of thing."

His brother took a turn to groan. "Is it that bad? Truly?"

"Trish is looking into the guy's story, and he's still out for the count. It's hard to say at this point, but so far, it's not looking good."

Virgil sighed. "Fine." And he hung up.

Dante was now diving into pizza, trying to think of something else he could do to investigate. There were no demons yet to fight, and there weren't many other leads left, other than to find where his client had been before the alley. It seemed redundant to do so, though, especially considering there wasn't much left to find there. And then there was his history, but he was pretty sure Trish was gonna cover that herself.

A thud interrupted his thoughts, making him look away from the pizza and look towards the staircase.

* * *

_Everything was white._

_The walls, the ceilings, the floors, everything was white. There may have been a touch of black as he walked, but all Kadir saw aside from that was white. The hallways he walked down were cold, and there was no color anywhere._

_Off in the distance, he thought he heard someone calling him, but the figure was so blurry in the distance, for the man walking up to him was dressed in white as well. And as he got closer, the urge to run got stronger. But he wouldn't move, couldn't move. No matter how much he wanted to get away from this figure in white, he couldn't. "What can I do for you?" He asked the man, calmly._

Kadir's eyes snapped open, finding himself tangled in blankets on the floor of an unkept room. He was sweating, and as he tried to lift himself, a jolt of pain went up his spine, making him lie down on his back.

He started breathing heavily, his eyes shut tightly. His wounds reopened, he quickly concluded. It was the only thing that made sense, his last memory was of Dante taking his case, so he must have lost consciousness sometime not long after. "Finally up, are we?" Green eyes opened, Kadir's head rolling over so he could see the figure in the doorway.

As he expected, the devil hunter.

The albino sighed, walking over to his client and easing him into a sitting position. Kadir took notice of the fresh bandages and the IV attached to his arm through this process, and mentally commented the devil hunter. At the very least, he was clever when it came to first aid.

Dante placed Kadir in his bed again, arranging the pillows so he could sit back against them. He put the blanket back over the guy before putting up a finger for Kadir to wait for him. Dante left, and he came back with a pitcher of water, a glass, and his pizza box. "You've been out for a few days. Best to eat something."

The ebony nodded, surprising Dante. Not that his client was surprised, he was typically a very picky eater, and he wasn't a fan of pizza. However, Kadir also knew that he wasn't in any position to argue about something so stupid. Dante was working for him, true, but Kadir had heard enough to know that bossing the albino around wasn't the best choice.

That, and the fact he was too hungry to care at this point.

The pair ate in silence, Kadir stopping after eating three or four pieces, leaving Dante to finish the pie while he just drank water. Not even five minutes passed, and once they did, Dante began talking. "I found the alley you were chased down." He told his client. "How did those demons crash into a generator, exactly?"

Well, the ebony wasn't too surprised by this question. "I'm not too sure. I just saw them skidding towards me, and I just held the door opened, slammed it shut, then started running as the sparks started flying." Dante nodded. "What else do you know? Anything?" Kadir asked, a bit hopeful.

Dante sighed. "I called in a few favors. One of my colleagues is looking into the incident at your apartment, and my brother is currently trying to look into that safe house of yours. Might help if you give us the alias you used."

"Midori Notaki." Kadir told him. Anything to help this mess...

The hunter nodded, making a note to call Virgil later before continuing. "I need more information about you. I come up with better solutions if I get an idea on why they're after you." Kadir nodded at him. He didn't care much, he didn't have anything to hide. "Any business rivals?"

"Several." He told the albino. "Business is a cut throat world. You tend to make more enemies than friends."

Dante took a breath in through his teeth. "Great..." He sighed out, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was gonna take awhile. "What about outside of work. Any old enemies, bitter siblings, parents, ex-girlfriends?"

Kadir rolled his eyes. "I wasn't liked because I was intelligent, but no one had tried to kill me before. I have no siblings, my father is comatose, his wife is dead, and I never dated."

Yeah, this was gonna take awhile...

* * *

_**Well, second chapter done. Chapter three is finished, as you may know, but that means chapter four is underway. **_

_**Thanks for reading, and I hope you're liking it so far! **_  
_**~ K. Fang-sama**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Next part, here we go!**_

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Porcelain

**Chapter Three**

Day five as Dante's client.

Well, the good news was that the ebony could walk now. His wounds finally healed, and he was able to relax somewhat. He was still staying with Dante, both agreeing that Kadir wasn't safe elsewhere, and since then, he's been helping Patty keep the place clean, if only to keep himself busy. The two managed to find Dante's kitchen today, which is when the silence broke as they slammed the door shut.

"Ew!" Patty said before plugging her nose.

"Quit overreacting, kid. It won't let you get a boyfriend." Dante said, half joking.

Kadir groaned. "Hardly an overreaction, Dante. When was the last time you cleaned that kitchen?" He asked the hunter, trying to hide his disgust.

The devil hunter rolled his eyes, sitting up at the sound of his phone ringing, which he answered. "Devil May Cry." He paused. "Hey, Trish. What 'cha got?"

* * *

"Good news, I hope." Trish said through her cell phone. She was standing in Kadir's apartment, nothing all too impressive about it. "I'm standing in the guy's apartment. Not much here, but I found a few emblems here. They should narrow down what's after him."

**"Anything on what I gave you three days ago?"**

She sighed. "Well, he was telling the truth. Kadir White's no social butterfly, so he doesn't have any friends, or ex-friends. Dad's comatose, mom's dead, no other siblings, a shit ton of rivals. I did find his planner, though; not sure how the police haven't. Day after Kadir disappeared, he was supposed to have a meeting with a Dr. Anthony Florus. You might wanna ask him about it and get some details."

**"What'll you be doing?"**

"Look into the emblem, of course. I'll call you when I got something."

* * *

Dante hung up without another word. "One of your colleagues?" Kadir questioned.

He looked at the CEO. "Who's Dr. Anthony Florus?"

Kadir was a bit surprised by the question. "H...he's an innovator. A great one; top line equipment. He called me with an offer on some of his new innovations, things to make my hotels run better."

"And you didn't bring him up, why?"

"Why would I? It was a simple business meeting; I'd never spoken to him until he called my office." Kadir said, narrowing his eyes.

Dante sighed. "You remember this guy's number?" Kadir nodded and wrote it down for him. No matter how much he doubted Dr. Florus was involved, he wouldn't question Dante's motives. Cooperating got him home sooner, and that was what mattered most to him.

The albino took the sheet of paper and dialed the number. When the secretary answered, he began talking. "Yes, my name is Dante Sparda, I'm the owner of Devil May Cry." Kadir's eyes widened, looking at Dante as if he were insane. "I'd like to engage Dr. Florus in a new project, if that's at all possible. Is there a time I can come in to speak with him?" Kadir's eyes narrowed and Dante let out a chuckle. "I am completely free tomorrow." Dante paused for a few minutes, but nodded. "Yes, tomorrow at 1:30 works fine. Might I ask which office building I should go to." Dante wrote down the address. It was a bit of a drive, but it would do. "Thank you very much, you have a good day." He smirked. "All right. Bye."

The phone was hung up, and it was only then that Dante looked up at Kadir. "What?"

"Just what do you plan to do when you get to his office?" Kadir asked him, rhetorically. "Point a gun at his head and interrogate him?"

Dante rolled his eyes. "I'm just gonna go in and observe him. See if he's suspicious at all."

Kadir rolled his eyes. "With your appearance, you'll be lucky to get in, forget speaking with Dr. Florus. You're not exactly going to fit in if you show up like that."

Again, Dante rolled his eyes. But, it wasn't like Kadir was wrong, though; his looks would put security on guard the instant he walked in. And with that, he picked up his phone and put out another call. "Hey, Lady, it's me."

**"Not asking for another loan, are you Dante? You still owe me."**

"Well, yes and no. I've got a meeting with a Dr. Anthony Florus and I need to look the part."

**"Since when do you ask me to take you clothes shopping?"** She asked, somewhat playfully.

Dante chuckled. "I know, but it's important. New client and all, I've gotta cover every base I can find."

**"I know. All right, I'll be over in a half hour."**

"Great. Oh, and Lady! One more thing..." Dante said, looking at Kadir.

* * *

_**Well, this was shorter than I would have liked it to be. Can't add anything else without spoiling things, though. I hope you guys are enjoying this!**_

_**~ K. Fang-sama**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**It's been too long, I think. I wonder if you guys can piece together a bit of what's going on. ;) Well, on with the story!**_

* * *

Porcelain

**Chapter Four**

Kadir glared at Dante from his seat. The devil hunter was about ready for his appointment with Dr. Florus, and Kadir was outright angry with him.

Yesterday, Dante had his colleague - Lady, he recalled - get Kadir a new look set up. He was VERY specific in his request for Kadir's new look, as it was meant to allow Kadir the liberty of walking around outside and going to the nearby diners and such, if he felt like it. That was nice of him, but the transformation was a bit much for client.

The CEO had been transformed into a full-fledged goth. His hair was now cut a bit, and he was dressed in green and black from head to toe. He also had a full amount of makeup to go with it all. White face paint, white and black lipstick, black eyeliner, and green face paint - for the triangles created from his eyes and covered his birthmarks, and gold eye contacts. He looked a lot more like some punk teenager dressed for Halloween, much to Kadir's disliking. He appreciated Dante's attempt to give him certain liberties, but this was NOT how a chief executive officer should look like! The outfit reminded Kadir of nothing but his rebellion phase, which he only partook in because his mother was being too overly sensitive and protective for her own good. Then again, that was the entire point with this.

"There are a few good spots around here. Lady's coming back around to show you the town and certain safe houses, just to be safe." Dante said, finishing with his tie. "Anything I should know about Dr. Florus before I go?" He asked his client.

"Did you look into ANY of his innovations?" Dante nodded. "Then try to stay open for negotiation - within reason, of course. He'd be suspicious if you're not."

"Right." He said. "See ya later."

* * *

Dr. Florus's office building was right next door to his factory. The main floor was sleek and clean, and had flowers around to decorate the counters and tables in the waiting area. Probably to add color to the contrast of white. It almost felt like being in a hospital, it was so white.

Dante, black suit and red tie on, approached the front desk. The secretary smiled and called him over. "Welcome to Florus Industry, how can I help you?"

He smiled. "Dante Sparda, I'm here for my appointment with Dr. Florus."

She nodded. "Of course, sir, may I just see your ID?" Dante gave it to her, and she began typing at the computer. She held it up to the screen, called someone on the phone, and hung up. It took about fifteen minutes, and after she returned his license, she said: "Take Elevator C to the fortieth floor. Dr. Florus's office will be straight ahead." He thanked her and left.

The fortieth floor was more colorful, and by color, Dante would say black and pink. There was a lot of pink around the place from the flowers, to the artwork, and even some of the carpeting. Not what you'd expect when visiting a business man, or an innovator for that matter. "Guess that doesn't count when you're both." Dante muttered to himself as he walked in.

He was sat down for a few minutes by Florus's secretary. He didn't mind by the end of the wait, because he was met with a quite the interesting scene. Two men stepped out, including a balding man with green eyes in a navy suit; starting to sweat profusely, not to mention the stammering. "Come now, Florus, we're more than willing to work things out." He said.

Florus had an average build, with pink hair that framed his face, yellow eyes and a set of white glasses on. His suit was white, his tie was pink, and his gloves were a light purple. "Yes, I know, Baxter. But judging by your financial situation, I don't think I'd be able to collect from the investment. Why waste the money?" Dante's brow rose while this Baxter guy stammered. "Perhaps if things stabilize for you, but not now. Good day."

He was seen out by the secretary, and Florus turned to Dante. "Mr. Sparda, I presume."

"Dante." The two shook hands and Florus led Dante into his office. Not much of a difference, save for the newspaper articles and the windows to the side of Florus's desk. "Several clients of mine praise your work, Doctor."

"Thank you, Dante, but call me Anthony if we're on a first name basis." Dante nodded as he sat down. "I looked into your business. I wouldn't think a devil hunter needs an innovator."

"Most people would think the same thing of wildlife protection, but you managed to surprise people." Florus smirked. "Weaponry against demons now are good. Recently we've been having some...difficulty though. I thought now would be the time that look for new options."

Florus smirked. "I didn't take you the type for that, but then again," he said, opening a file, "no one would think you'd be able to survive with how far in debt you are." Dante narrowed his eyes at him. "I like knowing who I do business with, Dante; I'm sure you were told that at some point. The fact you came in tells me that you have other reasons for wanting to see me."

Dante smirked. "But still you saw me? That's a bit odd, don't you think?"

"Quite." Florus said. "But I've always been curious by nature. Why do you think I went into science and engineering?" Dante shrugged. "So, what do I owe the pleasure of having a professional devil hunter in my office? I'm very curious. What could you want?"

Dante gave him a serious look. "Kadir White." He said.

This took the doctor off guard. "Mr. White disappeared five months ago, Dante. And I'm afraid to say that I've never met him in person, so I couldn't help you."

"Well, my client's told me otherwise. Appears as though Kadir's hunted by demons, and to make matters more interesting, the day before he disappeared, his planner marked an appointment to meet with you. A bit strange if you ask me."

"And so you're wondering if I'm the reason Mr. White was chased." Florus was smirking. "I have nothing but respect for Mr. White's character. He's a good business man and knows quality when he sees it. And with someone who only accumulates profit willing to do business with me, why would I want demons to come after him?"

"You wouldn't." Dante said. "But Kadir's got more than a few rivals in hotel services. You can't argue that other businesses may suffer if it's found out you two started working together."

Florus started chuckling, a dark glint in his eyes. "You're more intelligent than you appear." He said before pressing the intercom. "Lumina, could you get me the hotel service files? With the tape recordings too, please."

"Yes, Doctor."

The secretary came in, dropped off the papers and tapes and left. "These are all of Mr. White's rivals who called with offers. I rejected all of them. However, after his disappearance, three of them started calling and requesting appointments, and even after being seen, still call to see me. It's quite a nuisance, but...perhaps you could make something of it."

Florus was holding the three files in question, and Dante got the hint. "And what's this gonna cost me?" He sighed out.

"A fact." Dr. Florus folded his hands on his desk. "How do you know with certainty that Kadir White was being chased by demons?"

For awhile, it was quiet. Neither one moved or said anything. A call came in about an incident in the factory, which Florus said to bring keep the party involved in the supervisor's office until he got a chance to come down. Sometime after that, Dante walked up to Florus's desk and grabbed what he wanted, but didn't pull them out of Florus's hand. He just stood there like that for a second before saying: "Would you call Kadir White a liar?"

Florus's eyes widened and Dante took the files from him, as well as the tapes. "Keep quiet about that. I don't think you want the extra attention from anyone." The doctor calmed then, closing his eyes before nodding at Dante with a smirk on his face. "Pleasure doing business with you." And like that, Dante left.

* * *

_"Ulquiorra." Kadir looked up as he heard this name. The room he was in was now very dark, save for the tall stature with a throne on top. The man in white was sitting there again, and he still made Kadir shudder. "I take it things went well."_

_"Yes, sir. The Shinigami are starting to retreat to their tents."_

_"Good. Then you're ready to begin phase two. Get ready for a strike on their Southern fleet. You have twelve hours."_

_He bowed. "Hai."_

Kadir woke up with someone's hand on his shoulder. He fell asleep on Dante's couch while waiting for Lady, and he woke up sweating again. "Are you alright?" She asked him, legitimately concerned. If not for the makeup sticking to his face, his skin would have paled again. But the look on his face was enough to tell that it was a rough sleep.

Well that...and the fact she had been trying to wake him from a restless sleep for about twenty minutes.

"Yes, thank you." He said after a few minutes, though he didn't move much after. Lady got Kadir a glass of water and a towel to wipe off his face. After recollecting himself and reapplying the white paint on his face, the two left - still silent.

"What was going on?" Lady asked after he buckled himself in.

Kadir sighed. "Just a dream. Nothing important."

"Could have fooled me." Lady muttered off before starting the car.

* * *

_**Well, here's the update. I'm sorry for making you guys wait so long.** _


	5. Updates, Rewrites, and Adoptions

Hey guys! I know... it's been a while.

So, what happened was that I got so busy doing school, work, and working on other projects that fanfiction hasn't had any time. I still come onto the site and READ some fanfiction, but that's about all I do.

The GOOD NEWS IS: I plan on coming back with updates by June.

The BAD NEWS IS: I won't be keeping all of my projects. In the last year(?) I've only been able to complete 1 fanfiction, which is not a good track record. The next update you see to most of these stories are posts stating that they are up for adoption. These posts will stay up until the end of December of this year. By that point, any story that isn't taken will be DELETED.

Furthermore, some of my projects may go under rewrite. In order to continue, I need to finish what projects I'm most attached to, then I need to MOVE ON! I want to make more fanfics, but I can't do it with SO MUCH CLUTTER.

The next updates you see to these stories will either be: "Work-In-Progress," "Rewrite Underway," or "ADOPTION REQUEST." This list will be completed in the upcoming weeks.

I'm sorry for the stories that have died, for some of the ones that got you pumped and suddenly stopped, and I am also sorry to you who will not be getting new chapters for stories you love. But, if I'm gonna come back, I need to come back as someone new. And these old fics don't represent that.

Sincerely,

~ K. Fang-sama


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